Power supply system

Abstract

In a power supply system (10) having a cogeneration unit (12) equipped with an internal combustion engine (12a) and a generator (12b) to generate power to be supplied to a power destination and hot water to be supplied to a hot water destination, there are provided with a natural energy generation unit (14) that generates power with natural energy, a power supply unit (20) that receives the power generated by the generator and natural energy generation unit to supply the received power to the power destination; a voltage detector (22a) that detects voltage (V1) of the power flowing through an connecting bus (22), and an electric heater (12l). The power supply unit (20) controls operation of the electric heater based on the detected connecting bus power voltage (V1), thereby effectively utilizing surplus electricity without transmitting back it to a commercial power source.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]1. Field of the Invention[0002]This invention relates to a power supply system, particularly to a distributed power supply system installed at an individual residence to cover power demand of the residence.[0003]2. Description of the Related Art[0004]A distributed power supply system, i.e., a power supply system of distributed generation (also called on-site generation) is installed near a place where electric power is needed to generate and supply power thereto. Since the supplied power is consumed at the same location as the place it is generated, the system is superior because the power transmission loss can be suppressed. Such a distributed power supply is taught by, for example, by Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2003-339118.[0005]In the system disclosed in the reference, a DC bus is connected to a wind-power generation unit and photovoltaic generation unit (power generation unit) and to a load (power destination) to supply power gener...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008]An object of this invention is therefore to overcome the foregoing problem by providing a power supply system that can effectively utilize surplus electricity without transmitting back the surplus electricity to the commercial power source.

Problems solved by technology

However, since the system in the reference transmits the surplus electricity back to the commercial power source, it causes the power transmission loss and there is still room for improvement.

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